Automatically releasable flank strap fastener



P 1952 c. B. HUTCHINGS AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLE FLANK STRAP FASTENER 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Oct. 16 1950 CLAUDE B. HUTOHINGS (Ittornc P 1952 c. B. HUTCHINGS AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLE FLANK STRAP FASTENER 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Oct. 1.6. 1950 FIG-4 rlll Ihwentor CLAUDE B. HUTOHINGS Gitorncg Patented Sept. 2, 1952 AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLE FLANK STRAP FASTENER Claude B. Hutchings, Medical Lake, 'Wash.

Application October 16, 1950, Serial 'No. 190,412

Claims.

This invention relates to a flank strapfastener and it is one object of the invention to provide a fastener which is of such construction that after lapse of a predetermined length of time a flank strap will be automatically released and drop out of a position in which it applies pressure to a horse's flanks.

Bucking horses used in rodeos will buck harder when the flanks are bound since they are tender or ticklish in this area. At present the flank strap used remains in its pressure applying position until the horse is caught and the strap removed. This requires much time and is aggravating to the horse and rodeo attendants as the horse continues bucking after the rider has dismounted or been thrown. It is therefore another object of the invention to provide a flank strap fastener which will be automatically released only after lapse of a predetermined time during which the rider is required to retain his seat upon the bucking horse. It will thus be seen that the horse will continue bucking for the required length of time but will be immediately relieved of the annoying strap at the end of the required time and may be easily caught and also will not be liable to injure attendants who at the present time must catch the horse and manually remove the flank strap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flank strap fastener of such construction that mechanism which moves a latch towards a rereleasing position may be adjusted to cause the flank strap to be automatically released only after lapse of a predetermined length of time and thus allow the fastener to be set for a short ride or a long ride.

Another object of the invention is to allow the latch to be held in its operative position until the horse is released and leaves the chute and thus prevent the mechanism for moving the latch to a releasing position from moving the latch toward the said releasing position until the horse has been mounted and leaves the chute for the riding test.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic strap releasing fastener which is of such dimensions that it may be suspended from a ring at a side of a. saddle in position for connection with the flank strap.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a flank strap secured by means of the improved fastener.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view upon an enlarged scale of the improved strap fastener, a hood forming an element of the fastener being moved upwardly out of place in order to disclose mechanism under the hood.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the fastener.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view upon an enlarged scale showing a portion of a piston rod or stem and a handle or lever carried thereby.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a latch by means of which a hook or keeper is releasably held in its operative position.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a device by means of which the latch is prevented from being moved toward its releasing position until the horse leaves the chute.

In Figure 1 there has been shown a horse 1 upon which a saddle 2 has been secured by the usual cinch 3. The saddle is provided at each side with a ring 4 with one of which an end of a flank strap 5 is connected in any suitable manner and therefore need not be shown. To the other ring is secured a strap 6, and upon this strap is mounted the improved fastener indicated in general by the numeral I.

The improved fastener extends longitudinally of the saddle strap 6 and has a base i8 which is formed of strong metal and is secured at its upper and lower ends by rivets 9. From opposite side edges of the lower portion of the base project flanges Ill which are of duplicate formation. Each flange has a lower portion of increased width and in these widened portions the flanges are formed with recesses H defining ears l2 at lower ends of the flanges and arms l3 which are spaced upwardly from the ears.

A keeper 14 which is formed of strong metal is pivotally mounted between the flanges by a shaft 1 5 which is mounted in openings is formed in the ears. This keeper has a curved bill I! which is spaced from a shank it! formed integral with the keeper and tapers in width towards its upper free end. As the bill is spaced from the shank the keeper is formed with a recess I9 which extends its full width and has an arcuate inner wall, as shown in Figure 3. By so forming the keeper It and the flanges la a ring 28, to which one end of a strap 2| is secured, may be fitted into the recess I9 and the recesses H and the keeper then turned about its shaft to the securing position shown in Figures 2 and 3 to detachably hold the ring in engagement with the keeper. The tightening strap 2| then extends downwardly from the fastener and may be passed through the ring 22 of the flank strap and looped back and forth through the rings and tightened to exert pull upon the flank strap and cause the flank strap to apply pressure to the flanks 23 of the horse. This tightening of the strap 2| is done just prior to the time the horse leaves the chute in which it is mounted by the rider.

In order to releasably hold the keeper in its operative position there has been provided a latch or hook 24 which is tiltably mounted upon a pin or shaft 25 supported between the flanges l near upper ends thereof, spacers 26 being fitted about the shaft at opposite sides of the hook in order to maintain the hook midway the length of the shaft and hold it in position for engagement of its bill 21 with the shank of the keeper. A spring 28 urges the hook towards a position for engagement with the shank, and therefore the hook will be tilted upwardly as the shank is pressed towards the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the hook then return to its normal position for overlapping engagement with the shank. Pull is exerted upon the bill of the keeper when the strap 2| is tightened and when the hook is tilted from the dotted lined position of Figure 3 to the position shown in full lines the keeper will be turned about its shaft l5 until the ring 20 is released and the flank strap may drop downwardly out of position for applying pressure to the flanks of the horse. A safety strap 29 which is secured at its ends to the ring 20 and the cinch serves to limit downward dropping movement of the straps 5 and 2| and the released flanking strap can not strike the horses legs and frighten it.

In order to allow the hook to be automatically tilted to a releasing position and control the time required for such movement there has been provided mechanism shown in Figure 3. This mechanism includes a cylinder 30 which extends longitudinally of the upper end portion of the base and is held in place by wings 3| extending from side edges of the base and having side edges meeting along the center of the front portion of the cylinder and welded, as shown at 32, there being also an end plate 33 extending from the upper end of the base against the upper end of the cylinder and welded to upper edges of the wings, as shown at 34 in Figure 3. The lower end of the cylinder is closed by a head plate 35 secured by screws 36 and within the cylinder is a piston 31 mounted at the inner end of a tubular stem or piston rod 38. This piston rod passes through an opening 39 formed centrally of the head plate 35 and is threaded so that a cap 40 and a locking nut 4| may be applied to the rod and a lever or handle bar 42 held in position about the outer end portion of the rod. The handle bar is disposed radially of the head plate and the cylinder and its outer end passes through a slot 43 formed in a hood 44 longitudinally thereof. This hood extends longitudinally of the base in straddling relation thereto below the cylinder and its casing, and has corner portions formed with openings 45 through which screws 46 are passed and into threaded openings 41 and 48 formed in the flanges and the wings 3|, to hold the hood in place. By placing a finger or thumb against the outer end of the handle bar and applying pressure towards the lower end of the hood the piston rod and the piston will be shifted downwardly and when the handle bar is released a spring 49 coiled about the piston rod and bearing against the piston and the head plate will force the piston upwardly towards its normal position shown in Figure 3. A link 5|] which is formed of stifi wire extends between the handle bar and the hook and has its lower end bent to form a laterally extending finger 5| which passes through an opening 52 formed through the hook and its upper end portion bent to form an arm 53 terminating in an eye 54 fitting about the stem 38 and engaging the upper side face of the nut 4|. When the piston rod or stem is moved downwardly the spring 28 causes the hook to overlap the free end of the shank to releasably hold the keeper in securing engagement with the ring 20 and when the handle bar is released the spring 49 moves the piston upwardly, the nut then applies pressure to the eye to shift the link upwardly and cause the hook to be drawn to its releasing position. The cap 4|] is formed with a flange or finger grip 56 about its outer end and at its center with a boss or lug 51' serving as a valve plug which enters the flared outer end 51 of the passage 58 extending longitudinally through the piston rod or stem, and upon referring to Figure 4 it will be seen that due to this construction a valve and a seat for the same is formed by means of which flow of air through the piston rod from the cylinder may be controlled. When the cap is in the position shown in Figure 4 the valve will be closed and the piston will move very slowly to its uppermost position and the hook will be slowly moved to a position for releasing the shank and allowing movement of the keeper to a releasing position. By unscrewing the cap the valve member 51 will be gradually moved away from its seat 51 and air allowed to flow through the stem 38 and out of the lower end thereof at such speed as the position of the valve member permits. It will thus be seen that the length of time required for releasing the flank strap and causing the horse to stop bucking may be accurately controlled and the flank strap automatically released at the termination of a predetermined time interval.

When the handle bar 42 is forced downwardly through the slot 43 to effect movement of the hook to its operative position a block or stopper 59 having a reduced edge portion or tongue 60 is fitted into the slot 43 above the handle bar and prevents return movement of the handle bar and the piston. This block or stopper is carried by a cord or thong 6| having its other end tied to a convenient portion of the chute and when the horse leaves the chute pull will be exerted to withdraw the block, and release the handle bar. It will thus be seen that the piston may be shifted downwardly in the cylinder to its lowered position in which the keeper I4 is secured and the hook will be held against movement towards a releasing position while the strap 2| is being tightened to exert pull upon the flank strap. Tightening of the flank strap causes the horse to start bucking and as the horse is immediately released from the chute and enters the ring while bucking and continues to buck as long as the flank strap is tight, the flank strap being so held until the hook is moved out of overlapping engagement with the shank of the keeper, the bucking will be continued for the predetermined length of time required for a winning ride and there can be no disputes as to whether the contestant rode the horse while bucking for the required length of time. As soon as the flank strap is released the horse will stop bucking and may be easily caught by attendants without danger of being injured by the horse.

It is not my intention to unnecessarily limit the invention to a combination with a saddle.

but it also may be applied equally as well for bare back riding by securing one end of the flank strap to the base 8 of the fastener I and the opposite end may carry the ring 22.

The improved fastener I will then allow the flank strap to separate after the lapse of a predetermined length of time and drop from the animal being ridden. The safety strap 29 will be omitted when used without a saddle.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination with a saddle having a saddle strap carried thereby, a flank strap, and a coupling carried by said saddle strap including a keeper detachably engageable with said flank strap, and means to automatically release the keeper from a tightened saddle strap after a predetermined lapse of time.

2. A fastener for securing a tightened flank strap and adapted to automatically release the strap comprising a base, a keeper carried by said base and movable into and out of a securing position, a latch carried by said base and movable into and out of position for engaging said keeper and releasably securing the keeper in its operative position, and means carried by said base for moving the latch to a releasing position after a predetermined lapse of time.

3. In combination with a saddle having a depending saddle strap, a flank strap having a tightening strap including a ring carried thereby. and a coupling carried by the saddle strap and comprising a ring engaging keeper movable into and out of a securing position, a latch movable into and out of position for securing said keeper in its operative position and urged towards its securing position, means urging said latch towards a keeper-engaging position, a latch-engaging member, and means for moving said member in a direction to move the latch to its releasing position including mechanism for controlling the time at which the said member operates to move the latch to a releasing position.

4. In combination with a saddle having a depending saddle strap, a flank strap, and a coupling carried by said saddle strap and comprising a keeper movable into and out of position for engagement with a portion of the flank strap, a latch mounted adjacent said keeper and movable into and out of position for engaging said keeper and releasably securing the keeper in its operative position, means for urging said latch towards an operative position, and means for moving the latch to a releasing position after a predetermined lapse of time.

5. A fastener for securing a tightened flank strap and adapted to automatically release the strap, said fastener comprising a base adapted to be secured on a saddle strap adjacent one end thereof, a ring adapted to be connected with the flank strap by a, member constituting tightening means for the flank strap, a ring engaging keeper carried by said base, a latch carried by said base and manually movable to a keeper engaging position, a spring urging said latch in an operative position, and means carried by said base for moving the latch to a releasing position after a predetermined lapse of time including a latch-engaging member and a movable member having a lost motion connection with the latchengaging member and urged towards a position for effecting release of the latch.

6. In combination with a saddle, a flank strap, a ring adjustably connected with said strap by a member constituting tightening means for the strap, and a coupling suspended from the saddle and including a ring-engaging keeper, a latch manually movable to a keeper engaging position, a member for temporarily holding said latch in an operative position and means for moving the latch to a releasing position after a predetermined lapse of time.

7. A fastener for releasably securing a flank strap about the flanks of an animal comprising a base, said strap secured to said base, flanges at opposite side edges of the lower end portion of said base formed with recesses defining ears at lower end of the flanges, a keeper pivotally mounted between said ears and having a curved bill for passing through a ring of a tightening strap of a flank strap, Said keeper also having a shank movable to a position in which it extends between the flanges towards the upper end of the base and holds the bill in a ring-securing position across the recesses, a hook pivotally mounted between said flanges above said keeper and tiltable into and out of an operative position for overlapping engagement with the shank to releasably hold the keeper in its securing position and means connected with said hook for moving the hook to a releasing position at the termination of a predetermined time interval.

8. A fastener for releasably securing a flank strap tightened for a predetermined length of time comprising a base adapted to be secured upon a saddle strap and supported thereby in suspended relation to a saddle, a keeper pivotally mounted across said base and movable into and out of an operative position for securing engagement with a ring of a tightening strap of the flank strap, a hook pivotally mounted for tiltin movement into and out of an operative position for securing engagement with said keeper and urged towards its operative position, a cylinder mounted longitudinally upon, the upper portion of said base, a piston in said cylinder having a tubular stem protruding from the lower end of the cylinder, a spring urging the piston and its stem upwardly towards a retracted position, a link extending from said hook and formed with an eye at its upper end loosely fitting about the protruding lower end portion of said stem and allowing downward movement of the piston and the stem relative to the link while the hook is in its operative position, a cap screwed upon the lower end of said rod and having a portion constituting a valve member moved into and out of position for closing the passage through the tubular stem and controlling flow of air through the stem to regulate speed at which the stem and the piston move upwardly, a handle for drawing the stem downwardly mounted about and projecting laterally from the outer end portion of said stem, and a nut upon said stem clamping the eye of the handle bar against the cap and serving to engage the eye and shift the link longitudinally to move the hook to a releasing position as the piston rod approaches a retracted position.

9. A fastener for releasably securing a flank strap and automatically releasing the strap after lapse of a predetermined length of time comprising a base adapted to be secured upon a saddle strap and suspended vertically from a saddle, a keeper pivotally mounted across said base and movable about a horizontal axis into and out of an operative position, a retainer carried by said base above said keeper and movable into and out of position for engaging said keeper and releasably securing the keeper in its operative position, a cylinder mounted upon said base above the keeper and the retainer, a piston in said cylinder having a tubular stem protruding from the lower end of the cylinder, a spring urging the piston and its stem to a retracted position, a valve carried by said stem and adjustable to control flow or air outwardly through the stem and thereby cause inward movement of the piston and the stem to the retracted position at a predetermined speed, a link extending rearwardly from said retainer and slidably engaged about the stem outwardly of the cylinder, and a member carried by said stem and engageable with said link to shift the link upwardly and move the retainer to its releasing position as the stem approaches its retracted position.

10. A fastener for releasably securing a flank strap and automatically releasing the strap after lapse of a predetermined length of time comprising a base adapted to be secured to a, saddle strap and suspended vertically from a saddle, a keeper pivotally mounted across the lower portion of said base and movable about a horizontal axis into and out of an operative position, a, retainer above said keeper pivoted to said base and movable into and out of position for engaging said keeper and releasably securing the keeper in its operative position, a spring urging said retainer towards an operative position, a cylinder mounted upon said base longitudinally thereof above said retainer, a piston in said cylinder having a tubular stem protruding from the lower end of the cylinder, a spring in said cylinder about said stem between the piston and the lower end of the cylinder urg ing the piston and the stem upwardly to a retracted position, a valve carried by the outer end of said stem and adjustable to control flow of air through the stem and thereby cause inward movement of the stem to the retracted position of predetermined speed, a link extending from said retainer and having an eye at its upper end slidably fitting about the stem outwardly of the cylinder, a handle bar extending laterally from said stem below said cylinder and constituting means for drawing the stem outwardly, the stem being movable outwardly independently of the link and the first spring moving the retainer to its securing position during outward movement of the stem, a hood formed with a slot through which said handle bar passes, a member insertable into said slot to engage said handle bar and temporarily prevent inward movement of the stem, and said stem being provided with a member engageable with the eye of said link and serving to cause movement oi. the link upwardly and thereby move the retainer to a releasing position as the stem approaches its retracted position.

CLAUDE B. HU'TCHINGS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 451,526 Sandberg May 5, 1891 500,512 Rooney June 2'7, 1893 539,461 Weeks May 21, 1895 600,047 Steelman Mar. 1, 1898 701,836 Bush June 10, 1902 1,843,597 Coffman Feb. 2, 1932 1,985,890 Ellis Jan, 1, 1935 2,252,257 Harvey Aug. 12, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,625 Great Britain 1888 108,870 Sweden Oct. 26, 1943 

